Attaching things to EIFS

Attaching things to EIFS

Attaching things to EIFS is not rocket science but you need to know what to do

I had a lady call me the other day wanting to know the correct way to fasten her hose holder to the outside of her EIFS home. She could not get it to stay on the wall. This is actually a very good question, because there is a very specific way to install things to the outside of this cladding (Exterior Insulation and Finish System also known as Dryvit ® or synthetic stucco) whether it is a hose holder or a down spout for a gutter. First of all you are going to have to use a screw long enough to go through the system. Typically you will have between 1 1/2 inches to 4 inches to go through. You can tell how thick the material is by checking the bottom. The Synthetic Stucco will stick out from the wall and you can measure it there. Use a 3 or 4 inch screw and a 3/8 inch piece of PCV pipe. Drill a hole with a 3/8’s drill bit into the cladding where you want the screw to go. Stick the PCV pipe in the hole and make a mark where it is flush with the wall. Remove the PCV pipe, and cut it on the inside of the line as not to have the pipe stick out past the wall, but remain flush with the Synthetic Stucco finish. Apply adhesive (PL-Premium®, found at your local hardware store) to the outside of the PCV pipe and insert it in the hole you just drilled. The PCV pipe should sit all the way back to the substrate (OSB), and come out flush with the stucco surface. It is very important that the pipe is a tight fit, and the adhesive should be around the end that is outward at the Exterior Insulation and Finish System surface to make a good seal. Wipe any excess adhesive away with a damp cloth before it drys. Now, fill the pipe about half way with silicone caulk, and screw your hose to the wall using the holes you just made. When you screw the screw into the pipe excess caulk will come out the PVC pipe again use your damp cloth to remove any excess caulk that gets on the stucco’s finish coat or top coat. That is the old school way of doing it, and of course nowadays you have a fancy new way of doing it, and that would be a Corrosion Resistant Fastener and Sleeve Set. Myself I still use the PVC pipe and it works great, and like I always say if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If I was doing a large house or building that had down spouts I would however use the Corrosion Resistant Fastener and Sleeve Set’s just to save a ton of time.

Well, there you go, that is the correct way of attaching things to your Synthetic Stucco cladding.

The last thing you want to do is just run screws into your this cladding system, as it will create penetrations that water can enter the system and cause problems down the road.